Steerpike Steerpike

‘I will stay here’: Jeremy Corbyn doubles down after Labour defeat

Jeremy Corbyn was roundly defeated in yesterday’s general election, so what lessons have been learned? Not many, if his interview just now on ITV News is anything to go on.

The Labour leader defended Momentum, insisted his party’s manifesto was popular and vowed not to walk away from the party for the time being. On Brexit, Corbyn continued to sit on the fence. When asked whether Corbynism was dead, the Islington MP replied ‘There is no such thing as Corbynism’:

And the Labour leader also pointed the finger of blame at the media for failing to give him a fair hearing. Here’s his verdict on what unfolded:

Interviewer: ‘Quite often, leaders step down straight away after a general election defeat like this. I mean, this is a catastrophic defeat, many people would expect you to stand down straight away.

Corbyn: ‘I was elected to lead the party and I think the responsible thing to do is not to walk away from the whole thing and I won’t do that. I will stay here until there has been somebody elected to succeed me and I will step down at that point.’

Interviewer: ‘You talked about being misrepresented, do you feel you have been misrepresented in the media?’

Corbyn: ‘Yes, absolutely’.

Mr S. would be interested to hear Corbyn’s thoughts on how the media should talk about the party’s worst performance since before the Second World War…

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Steerpike
Written by
Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

Topics in this article

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in